One active area of agricultural research is devoted to the production of more productive plant life, particularly that plant life usually considered as or associated with food sources or beauty for man. In this research, much effort has been expended in developing means for the regulation of the growth pattern of plant life, particularly as evidenced by the retardation of growth and the enhancement of maturation.
These objectives have been accomplished, in part, by the discovery, development and distribution of various chemical agents which alter or modify the growth characteristics of plants. Documentation of such can be found in Dwarfing Plants With Chemicals, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, January, 1961.